Today’s Georgia observation has been something I noticed since I first got here. How Georgians’ handle take out. Or I should say, fellow suburb dwellers of Atlanta metro, handle takeout.

I grew up in the South, and the whole point of going out was to consume vast quantities. My favorite story on this comes from my grandfather on my mom’s side. We wanted to go out to eat, so they picked the restaurant, the Golden Corral.

The road to diabetes and heart failure. 

So, we are in line to pay at the beginning, cause thats how it works. They get your money at the top and then let you loose on the shame zone. My grandfather turns to me and goes, “I don’t know how this place stays in business. They know I’m coming in here, and they know I’m  going to eat 5 steaks. And then they know I’m going to get the giant bowl for the ice cream and fill it with fried okra.”

Stuff like that. And sometimes, if you couldn’t finish your food, you would take whats left to go and have it the next day. ANd I feel like that part is true for Georgians. Oh no, thats not enough.

So, Heather and I are out to eat. I just got back in town, its right before New Years. We’re bored, so we decide to go to a Hibachi place. Haven’t been to one in forever, nice to sit and eat while someone throws grilled shrimp in your face.

The meal goes fine. I am paying my bill, and the person sitting right next to me starts having an argument with the waiter.

“I want 5 containers of the ginger salad dressing, 6 containers of the steak sauce, and 3 containers of the mustard sauce. How hard is that?”

The waiter something to the effect of that’s fine but you have to pay for it. The other guy goes, “NO! I could have eaten all that here and you wouldn’t have charged me more. Get me my sauces.”

We just out shortly after the guy got his sauces. I kind of shook it off, didn’t think about it.

About a month later, we are at an upscale Italian joint. Dressed up nice, no kids around. That kind of thing. Similar deal, Guy wants “three of the table breads to go.” And has an argument with the waiter for about 10 minutes. Till they give him his bread and he goes.

Since that event, I have noticed this three other times. Where people like yell at the work staff to get whatever little bit free they give you, but like TONS of it.

When the fuck did this happen? Is this acceptable now?

I have asked everyone I know out here in Georgia. People don’t seem to think that remarkable in the first place. My mind has difficulty processing it. I don’t believe its an expectation that if you go to a BBQ place you get to take what is equivalent to a full bottle of BBQ stuff in little plastic cups to go, but apparently, you get whatever you yell about out here.

I am not sure why this is happening but  it makes me sad.  For one thing, is it like a cost thing. Like they think buried in the price of their meal is more free stuff so they are pulling a Ross.

If you do this, you are an asshole. Fact.

Maybe this is how the end starts. First, its exploiting the good graces of staff. Then the next thing you know, BAM, Mad Max.

Could be? Maybe? Possibly?

I think if you take anything away from this, be nice to your local wait staff and restaurants. Not for any special reason. Just to not be a fucking asshole.

Editor’s Note: Apologies for the delay. Not keeping up my publishing pace like I would like. I will attempt to stick to once a week. Enjoy more insights into Georgia.

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Names mean everything in the South. I mean, not in a celebrity type of way. Not in that like following Elon Musk’s twitter feed kind of way.

What I mean is your name means something. In modern consultese, they would call this “personal brand.” A name can ring forth with fraud, reliability, disgrace, trustworthiness, etc. Just depends on how you establish yourself.

Lets look at an example. This house I just bought. We are still mid unpacking boxes, and we probably will be for some time to come. Inside of a closet door. I found this:

A plaque? Commemorating the house’s founding.

Seeing this name didn’t surprise me. This was a selling point for the home. It was in the original listing “a remodeled John Wieland home.” My realtor made the point of saying the entire neighborhood was done by John Wieland. Even my in-laws flipped out, “You are getting a John Wieland home. That’s the best.”

I was trying to understand the hero worship. Google didn’t help me any. It’s just a developer. But one with a lot of dough apparently. Has their own youtube channel.

Not sure this dude needs more advertisement…ever…

Its a full on thing in Atlanta.

What I find interesting about it is that people know all of these construction guys names. John Wieland is like the Cadillac, but there are plenty of others. Check your Atlanta area listings, you will see names floated around.

I think the main thing I am struggling with about this is, I cant fully articulate why I think its dumb that a thing like a developer is celebrated. Is it that I am envious? Nope, I like being unknown, unheard of, and unremarkable, down in my John Wieland basement.

Is it that I think its a bit egotistical to slap a plaque with your signature on every house you make? Yes, but that’s not it either. Let the dude do what he wants. He makes a fine home.

I think its that these are the kinds of conversations people have. My mother in-law has been telling every one of her friends group about the fact that we bought a John Wieland home. This will give the conversation machine fuel through to the summer.

That’s what bugs me. Don’t people have better things to talk about? Read a goddamn book. Catch a film. Enrich yourself. Or, get involved in your community. Don’t sit on the elliptical at LA Fitness and talk about the prestige of John Wieland.

That is all.

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On a move & family update front, things are going swimmingly. Ethan is using more words by the day and is super talkative. We are fully settled in here and around 85% unpacked. Need to put up the books and go through the stuff in storage in the basement.

We also need to get rid of all the goddamn empty boxes.

This is about 1/5 of the empty boxes that currently exist in my house.

I’m slowly but surely getting them all to the street for the garbage to be taken away. Hopefully, they will all be gone soon, and I can post pics of our house all dolled up.

Till then, keep yo flava fresh.

…and it is awesome.

Sorry its been a hellish week.

Only have time for some quick updates:

• We are about 60% unpacked. Got alot done last weekend. Expecting to get more done this weekend. Hopefully to end up 80% unpacked by the end of this weekend.
• The important stuff is unpacked. Kitchen, master bedroom, Ethan’s room. A fair amount of work remains in the guest bedroom, random boxes throughout the house, and the giant mess that is the basement.

The horror……..and not just the horror that is my face.

• Ethan adjusted instantaneously. He loves this house, and has had his best nights sleep here.
• The rug that was mentioned in the last post, is confirmed ruined. Apparently, if the water damage gets all the way through the rug, there is nothing they can do. We are now working on replacement.
• I actually used my “Reason we moved here ” card and texted my mother-in-law to pick up Ethan one day this week. Already, the benefits are tremendous.
• I think both Heather and I are getting sick. Little man got sick a few weeks ago, this may be the revenge.

That’s it for now. I am hoping for a better update in the coming days. I have ideas down for about 3-4 entries in this thing. I just need to sit down, research, and write. Not sure when I will have that time.

More broadcasts as they come